Chhatrapur: Mahanadi water will soon quench the thirst in Ganjam district as the state government has approved a mega drinking water project that will provide piped drinking water supply to the district’s residents by drawing water from the river.
Reports said water will be drawn from Mahanadi via neighbouring Khurda district to Bhanjanagar in Ganjam. River water will be stored there in an intake structure for the supply of drinking water to residents of 10 blocks under Ganjam district.
In the first phase, 38.86 cusecs of water will be drawn from the river for supply to an intake structure to be built under the direct supervision of the superintending engineer of the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation (RWSS) department in Bhanjanagar for the drinking water project. The matter came to the fore after Sasmita Mishra, UnderSecretary of the Water Resources department, wrote letters to the Ganjam Collector (letter no31221) and the superintending engineer of RWSS division in Bhanjanagar (letter no-31218) apprising them of the development. Mishra asked the two senior officials to take the necessary steps on the issue and expedite the process.
Sources said that a mega drinking water project will be established in Bhanjanagar under the direct supervision of superintending engineer, RWSS in Bhanjanagar.
As a result, residents of 10 blocks in Ganjam district will be able to get safe piped drinking water connections. The drinking water project is scheduled to become functional by 2024 following which water will be supplied to the households. An intake structure will be built near Karipokhari in Chamundia panchayat near Subalaya in Bhanjanagar to store the river water. Later, the RWSS in Bhanjanagar will supply this river water through pipelines to households in 10 blocks.
However, the letter from the under-secretary has strictly warned that the river water will only be used for the supply of drinking water. The water level will be measured by installing a water flow meter and sensor while a treatment plant will also be established along with the intake structure to filter the water before supply. The superintending engineer has also been asked to make an audit of the amount of water lifted from the river and its utilisation every three months. Stringent action will be taken if the order is violated, the letter from the under-secretary has warned. Notably, the RWSS department in Bhanjanagar in June had urged the state Water Resources department to establish a mega drinking water project under its jurisdiction.